Law & Order’ rewrote television history

AUSTIN, Texas — During the course of 20 years, familiarity might have lulled the casual viewer into forgetting that “Law & Order” broke ground on several television fronts.



— Split procedural: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by separate yet equally important groups,” intones the introduction to “Law & Order.” Few procedural shows so elegantly balanced the portrayal of “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

Even producer Dick Wolf’s other franchise hits, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” didn’t match this balancing act, sticking instead almost exclusively to the more sensational detective work.

— Prosecutors as heroes: Stretching as far back as “Perry Mason,” TV’s fictional lawyers usually argued for the defense. “Law & Order” was born during a conservative era, and even borrowed its title from a familiar Republican campaign theme.

It could be argued that the show neutralized criminal prosecution as a political billy club by showing that Manhattan-based liberals could fight crime just as honorably and enthusiastically as conservatives. The show also reminded us that prosecutors represented “the people” — that’s the rest of us, folks.

— Rapid episodic narrative: Procedurals from the 1980s — “Hill Street Blues,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Miami Vice,” — often interrupted storytelling with car-chase action, charismatic scenery or painfully slow character development.

“Law & Order” moves at such a rapid, clipped rate, one can’t leave the room without missing a key clue. Some scenes last mere seconds.



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Charges dropped against Superior man accused of trespassing on own land

The charges against Jeremy Engelking, a 27-year-old Superior man who challenged Enbridge Energy Partners’ right to push a pipeline through his property, have been dismissed.

During a pretrial hearing Monday, Engelking learned that Assistant Douglas County District Attorney Lance Nelsen no longer intends to pursue a disorderly conduct charge against him. A previous charge of trespassing on a construction site was dropped in March.

Engelking’s case made national news in December, when he was arrested and charged for trespassing on his own property. Engelking confronted a crew laying pipe across his land, saying that they did not have authority to be there.

He wound up in handcuffs and a jail cell.

Nelsen could not be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.

“It’s sad it had to go this far,” Engelking said. “They should have realized they didn’t have a case right away.”

Engelking said he had been offered a plea agreement but remained intent on taking the case to trial. He still doesn’t know how much his legal bills will total.

Now that the criminal charges against him have been dismissed, Engelking said he may well file civil suits against Douglas County and Enbridge.


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